Venezuelan official calls for international solidarity vs. US-led military intervention

People’s conference participants express support for people of Venezuela

The Venezuelan embassy in the Netherlands yesterday assailed the scheduled debate in the Dutch parliament about Venezuela as an interference in the internal affairs of Venezuela.

Alvaro Enrique Sanchez Cordero, Chargé d’ Affaires of the Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in the Netherlands, said that the debate, scheduled next week on 04 October, should not be taking place in the first place. Sanchez said if such should take place, the Dutch people should advocate for it to be undertaken in a most fair and truthful manner.

Sanchez made known his remarks during the October Revolution Centennial Conference held in Amsterdam, The Netherlands on 23-24 September . The conference was organized by the International
League of Peoples’ Struggle, People’s Resource for International Solidarity and Mass Mobilization, and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines.

Sanchez asked the participants of the conference and the Dutch public for the strongest international solidarity after US President Trump more than a week ago threatened to use military action against the Venezuelan people and their democratically-elected government under President Nicolas Maduro. This, he said, is aside from the constant attacks made by European and other Western governments, international media and big businesses.

The October Revolution conference in Amsterdam drew over 80 delegates from 20 countries. The delegates expressed support for Sanchez’ call and vowed to undertake activities to thwart the threats of US imperialist military intervention in Venezuela.

Addressing the theme of the conference – The Continuing Validity of the October Revolution in the 21st Century – Sanchez emphasized that the Communist Party of Venezuela was founded on the inspiration brought by the Russian revolution. He said the Bolivarian revolution drew inspiration from it and the massive mobilizations in the 1960s and 70s.

Speaking on the people’s achievements under Commander Hugo Chavez, Sanchez stressed the country has lowered the poverty levels from 80% to 20%, broadened access to education with the UNESCO declaring Venezuela free of illiteracy. He also said under Chavez and the current government, almost two million social housing units were built in the last five years, and were intended mainly for the working class and poor people.

He explained that the international propaganda against the Maduro government is part of the massive economic and political destabilization by the Venezuelan elite in partnership with their US and Western political and economic cohorts to bring down the Maduro government, install a pro-US leadership and open again the Venezuelan economy to unbridled international exploitation and plunder.

On the issue of human rights violations by the Maduro government, Sanchez explained that the Venezuelan government and people have the right to defend themselves against those forces seeking to
overthrow them and overturn their achievements, especially in this period where the threats make them vulnerable to US-led blackmail and sabotage. He said the anti-Maduro media, both local and
international, should not be allowed to impose their own discourse about what is happening in Venezuela.
“We have to put forward the achievements of the Venezuelan people ourselves,” he emphasized as he called for more fairness and truthfulness on reporting about Venezuela.

Sanchez stressed that Venezuela under Maduro would not go the way of Chile’s Salvador Allende who was ousted in the military coup d’etat by the US Central Intelligence Agency in 1973.

“Chavez democratized the Venezuelan armed forces and developed a strong partnership between the people and the armed forces, which upholds a patriotic and anti-imperialist agenda,” Sanchez stressed.
In conclusion, Sanchez invited the participants to a public meeting on the real situation in Venezuela and to call for the strongest international solidarity for the Venezuelan people on September 29 at the Embassy of Venezuela in The Hague, The Netherlands.